Shock ignition of thermonuclear fuel: principles and modelling

Shock ignition is an approach to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) in which the stages of compression and hot spot formation are partly separated. The fuel is first imploded at a lower velocity than in conventional ICF. Close to stagnation, an intense laser spike drives a strong converg...

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Published inNuclear fusion Vol. 54; no. 5; pp. 54008 - 21
Main Authors Atzeni, S., Ribeyre, X., Schurtz, G., Schmitt, A.J., Canaud, B., Betti, R., Perkins, L.J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published IOP Publishing 01.05.2014
Subjects
Compressing
Formations
Fuels
Hot spots
Ignition
inertial confinement fusion
laser driven fusion
Lasers
Modelling
shock ignition
target design
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Summary:Shock ignition is an approach to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) in which the stages of compression and hot spot formation are partly separated. The fuel is first imploded at a lower velocity than in conventional ICF. Close to stagnation, an intense laser spike drives a strong converging shock, which contributes to hot spot formation. Shock ignition shows potentials for high gain at laser energies below 1 MJ, and could be tested on the National Ignition Facility or Laser MegaJoule. Shock ignition principles and modelling are reviewed in this paper. Target designs and computer-generated gain curves are presented and discussed. Limitations of present studies and research needs are outlined.
Bibliography:International Atomic Energy Agency
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ISSN:0029-5515
1741-4326
DOI:10.1088/0029-5515/54/5/054008